Digitising the experience to deliver on demand 

Much has been written in recent years about the shift from a service economy to the experience economy; a move which has seen organisations focus on the way in which the customer accesses their services, rather than the service itself. Indeed, the original advocates of the experience economy model, Pine and Gilmore, talk of four key focal points on the experiential journey: Education, Escapism, Entertainment and Esthetics.

When organisations create the digital customer experience, they should be thinking about how to meet all four elements – providing information, aspiration and diversion or distraction, humour or fantasy, and something which draws on all the senses. Appealing to the 4Es, many automotive organisations create immersive advertising experiences and use storytelling to capture the imaginations of prospective buyers. The showroom is an extension of the storytelling environment.

With the experience beginning the very first moment a consumer considers purchasing or financing a vehicle and running all the way through to disposing of that vehicle after its useful life, there are hundreds if not thousands of potential touchpoints along the way. Manufacturers, dealers, and the aftermarket have significant opportunity to create resonance with the consumer, offering an experience which is seamless, integrated, personalised and multi-channel.

As digital becomes ever more important within that customer experience journey, the automotive sector is looking to best practice within hospitality, retail, leisure and more, to create opportunities to engage with consumers on their terms. The merging of the experience and subscription economies creates a demand for increasingly personalised and bespoke customer journeys, which allow the individual to move seamlessly between platforms, devices, and the physical retail environment. Effective data sharing and integration is more important in this world of e-commerce than ever before.